Los Angeles County Booking Records
72 hour booking records in Los Angeles County are available through two main tools run by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The LASD Inmate Information Center lets you search for anyone in custody at a county jail. The LASD Booking Log shows everyone booked into the system over a set time period. Los Angeles County has the largest jail system in the country, handling tens of thousands of bookings each year. This page walks you through how to search Los Angeles County booking records, what each tool does, and what rights apply under California law.
Los Angeles County Booking Quick Facts
LASD Inmate Information Center
The LASD Inmate Information Center is the primary search tool for Los Angeles County booking records. You search by name, booking number, or other identifying details. The system returns results for anyone currently held in a Los Angeles County jail facility. It shows the person's name, booking date, charges, bail amount, next court date, and which facility holds them. The tool runs around the clock and is free to use.
Los Angeles County runs several jail facilities. The largest are Twin Towers Correctional Facility, Men's Central Jail, and the Century Regional Detention Facility. There are also smaller stations and jails across the county. The Inmate Information Center searches all of them at once. You do not need to know which specific Los Angeles County facility someone is at. One search covers the whole system. This is helpful given how spread out Los Angeles County is. A person arrested in Lancaster might end up at a different facility than someone arrested in Long Beach, but both show up in the same search.
The Inmate Information Center screenshot above shows the search interface. You type a last name and first name, then hit search. Results are returned quickly. If the person is in custody at a Los Angeles County jail, their booking data will appear.
LASD Booking Log
The second tool is the LASD Booking Log. This is different from the Inmate Information Center. The booking log shows a list of everyone booked into Los Angeles County jails over a certain time period. It is not a name search. It is a log. You can browse through it to see who was booked recently. This is closer to what people mean when they say "72 hour booking log" because it shows a running list of bookings rather than just current inmates.
The booking log is helpful when you want to see all arrests, not just look up one person. Journalists, legal professionals, and community groups in Los Angeles County use the booking log to track patterns. It lists each person by name along with their booking date, charges, and other details from the booking process.
The booking log interface is shown above. It presents data in a list format. You can scroll through or filter by date range. Between the Inmate Information Center and the Booking Log, Los Angeles County gives the public two strong ways to access 72 hour booking records.
Note: The booking log may show different data than the Inmate Information Center since one tracks bookings and the other tracks current custody status.
Los Angeles County Booking Law
Government Code 7923.610 requires every law enforcement agency in California to release booking data. In Los Angeles County, this applies to the LASD, the LAPD, and dozens of other city police departments that operate within the county. The law lists the data points that must be shared: full name, date of birth, physical description, arrest time and date, booking time and date, arrest location, bail amount, charges, and where the person is being held.
Los Angeles County is the most populous county in the United States. Over 10 million people live here. The sheriff's department is one of the largest law enforcement agencies in the world. It patrols unincorporated areas and also provides contract policing to many cities. On top of that, Los Angeles County has many cities with their own police forces. LAPD is the biggest. Long Beach, Glendale, Pasadena, Torrance, Burbank, and others also have their own departments. When any of these agencies make an arrest and the person is booked into a county jail, that booking data goes into the LASD system.
Some Los Angeles County cities run their own city jails for short-term holds. The LAPD has multiple jail facilities. Long Beach has one too. Glendale, Burbank, Torrance, and Pasadena hold people at city jails as well. Booking data at these city facilities is public under the same state law but may not show up in the LASD search tools. For city jail bookings, you may need to check with that specific police department.
LA County Jail Communications
Los Angeles County uses GTL and GettingOut for inmate phone calls and video visits. These are the systems families use to stay in contact with people booked into the county jail. You create an account, add funds, and can schedule video visits or receive calls. The platform works on computers and mobile devices. Fees apply for calls and visits.
GTL serves as the main communication provider for Los Angeles County detention facilities. If someone was recently booked and you want to get in touch, start by confirming they are in custody through the Inmate Information Center. Once you know they are at a Los Angeles County facility, set up your GTL or GettingOut account. Money deposits for commissary also go through this system or through kiosks in jail lobbies.
Rights After LA County Booking
Every person booked into a Los Angeles County jail has the right to three phone calls within three hours. Penal Code 851.5 guarantees this. The calls are free. They can go to a lawyer, bail bond agent, or family. Given the volume of bookings in Los Angeles County, this right is especially important. Thousands of people pass through the system each week, and each one of them gets these calls.
Bail in Los Angeles County follows the county bail schedule. The amounts vary widely based on the charges. A misdemeanor might carry bail of a few thousand dollars. Serious felonies can run into the hundreds of thousands. The booking record will list the bail amount. You can find it through the Inmate Information Center or the Booking Log. If bail is set at zero or says "no bail," that means the charge either qualifies for own-recognizance release or bail has been denied by a judge.
Note: Los Angeles County processes more bookings than any other county in California, so search results may take a moment longer than smaller counties.
LA County Booking Records by City
Many cities in Los Angeles County have their own police departments that make arrests. Below are major cities where you might be looking for booking data. Some have city jails while others send all bookings to the county system. Click a city for more details on local booking records in that area.
How to Search LA County Bookings
Start with the LASD Inmate Information Center if you know the person's name. This is the fastest way to check if someone is currently in custody at a Los Angeles County jail. If you want to see all recent bookings, use the Booking Log instead. Both tools are free and do not need an account.
For a formal copy of a Los Angeles County booking record, you can contact the LASD Records and Identification Bureau. They handle records requests for the sheriff's department. Written requests can be sent to the bureau. Include the full name and approximate date of booking. The California Public Records Act gives you the right to ask for this information, and the LASD must respond within 10 days.
- Search the LASD Inmate Information Center at app5.lasd.org/iic
- Browse the LASD Booking Log at app5.lasd.org/bklog
- Contact the LASD Records and Identification Bureau
- Check city police departments for city jail bookings
- File a Public Records Act request for certified copies
Los Angeles County is complex. With so many agencies, jails, and cities, it can take a bit of work to find the right booking record. The two LASD tools cover the county jail system. For city jail data, go to the specific police department. The booking record is public no matter which agency holds it.
Nearby Counties for Booking Search
Los Angeles County shares borders with four other California counties. If the person you are looking for may have been arrested outside of LA County, check these areas.